Category Archives: Barb Freda

What if you replaced crust with ground beef? You get a crustless, spinach-filled “pie,” that’s what. I saw a breakfast recipe using sausage that inspired me to try this–and I was looking for a way to make something spinach-filled to celebrate National Spinach Day. This is a fun way to serve up something that will keep the low-carbers happy. I used regular-sized muffin tins, but you could make tiny little pies by pressing the beef into mini-muffin tins and filling … continued…

Let’s make March the time to take stock and do some spring cleaning in the kitchen. Here are a few tasks for your list. 1. Check smoke alarm batteries. Fire departments everywhere try to remind us to change the batteries with the spring fall seasons… check your batteries and change ‘em. 2. Along the same safety line, think about adding a small fire extinguisher to your kitchen. Keep it handy below your sink or next to your range. … continued…

I use wonton wrappers to escape making pasta, but if you like to make your own pasta sheets, by all means, do! The wonton wrappers are surprisingly easy to handle. One tip for any leftovers: if you have to store leftover ravioli, try to store them sauced in a single layer—they tend to stick together when stacked. Prep time: About 25 minutes Cook time: About 20 minutes Makes about 32 ravioli Sauce: 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 … continued…

This recipe packs a lot of flavor from few ingredients. It is simple to prepare. Clean and chop the mushrooms and give the tomatoes a rinse, and since you cook the vegetables in the same pan as the steak, clean up is simple too. For March, grape tomatoes are the way to go, as they always seem sweet, no matter the season. Prep time: about 5 minutes Cook time: about 15 minutes Serves 4 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 … continued…

Face it–everyone, no matter their heritage, likes to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Here are five great culinary ideas that can be a great part of your day. 1. Make soda bread. There’s no excuse to not make a fresh batch of bread. Soda bread is easy to whip up, cooks fast and everyone loves a warm loaf of bread on the table. Here’s the recipe I will be making: http://kerrygoldusa.com/recipe/mummys-brown-irish-soda-bread-from-darina-allen/ 2. Learn to use beer in your cooking. … continued…

A common misconception is that healthy food is tasteless but that is far from the truth! Healthy food not only tastes good when prepared right but it also makes us feel good. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annually declares March as National Nutrition Month® and this year the theme is “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right.” This theme could cover a variety of topics but I want to focus more on the process of enjoying our food by … continued…

I love the combination of pasta and rice, but there’s no reason you need to buy that combination from a box. This comes together so simply with ingredients that are probably in your pantry already (add fine egg noodles to your list of pantry staples—you’ll make this often). This is a beautiful one-pot meal. Add a salad and the meal is complete. Prep time: About 10 minutes Cook Time: About 25 minutes Serves 4 1 teaspoon oil 1 pound … continued…

Somehow I let the holiday season roll by without giving you an idea of what I’m reading these days in the cookbook category. I am all over the place, but there are some new titles here and a perennial favorite or two that I keep pushing. Tartine Book No.3 by Chad Robertson. Believe it or not, I cooked with Chad when he was still a student at CIA (that’s Culinary Institute of America). I’ve watched the great things that … continued…